Peng Li, Brian Corner and Steven Paquette
The purpose of this paper is to present results of shape analysis of female torso shape using the discrete cosine transform (DCT) from a three-dimensional (3D) whole body scan…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present results of shape analysis of female torso shape using the discrete cosine transform (DCT) from a three-dimensional (3D) whole body scan database.
Design/methodology/approach
Torso shape is a central part of body shape and difficult to describe by linear measurements. In order to analyze body shape variation within a population the authors employed a DCT-based shape description method to compresses a dense 3D body scan surface into a small vector that preserves shape and removes size. The DCT-based shape descriptors of torso surfaces are further fed to principal component analysis (PCA) that decompose shape variation into constituent shape components. A visualization program was developed to observe principal components of torso shape and interpret their meanings.
Findings
Extreme shapes of the first ten principal components summarize major shape variations and identify shapes that are difficult to capture with traditional anthropometric measurements. PCA results also help to find and retrieve similar shapes from a population-level database.
Originality/value
Using the DCT for PCA of torso shape is a unique and original approach. It provides a basis for the description and classification of torso shape in 3D and the results from the shape analysis are potentially useful for designers of clothing and personal protective equipment.
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Peng Li, Calvin Lee and Brian Corner
To explore three‐dimensional scanning technology in capturing the shape of inflated parachutes for accurate estimation of surface area and volume.
Abstract
Purpose
To explore three‐dimensional scanning technology in capturing the shape of inflated parachutes for accurate estimation of surface area and volume.
Design/methodology/approach
The volume and surface area of an inflated round parachute are important parameters for the design and analysis of its performance. However, it is difficult to acquire the three‐dimensional (3D) surface shape of a parachute due to its flexible fabric and dynamic movement. This paper presents how we collect 3D data with a laser scanner and calculate volume and surface area of parachutes from their scans. The necessary data clean and approximation steps with non‐uniform B‐spline function are introduced and implemented. Numerical integration methods are employed to estimate surface area and volume. The approximation of the parachute based on an ellipsoid is compared with the numerical integration approach in their volumes and surface areas.
Findings
It is found that 3D scanning technology, with help of mathematic program developed, provides a feasible mean to estimate the surface area and volume of inflated parachutes. The numerical integration method derived in this paper is reliable and robust for the computation.
Originality/value
It is the first time that the 3D shape of an inflated parachute has been scanned with a laser scanner. The mathematical methods developed for processing of scan data are useful for others who use 3D scanning technology. The computational approach and results of surface area and volume of inflated parachutes are valuable to parachute performance modeling and design community.
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Purpose – This chapter describes an assessment tool that not only contains all of the good qualities of formative assessments, in that it informs teaching and is based on…
Abstract
Purpose – This chapter describes an assessment tool that not only contains all of the good qualities of formative assessments, in that it informs teaching and is based on systematic observation of the learner engaged in reading and writing, but also possesses the same good qualities as standardized assessments, in that a student's performance can be compared to other students over time.
Methodology/approach – The chapter begins with an overview of Clay's interactive literacy processing theory. The value of using observation is discussed and a case is made that when observations are conducted in a systematic way, the assessment can possess all the same qualities of a good standardized instrument. Two first-grade students' assessment data from the Observation Survey (OS), one a struggling reader and the other working at low-average level, are shared in order to demonstrate how to interpret the assessment data using Clay's literacy processing theory and how to use those interpretations to inform teaching.
Practical implications – Systematic observation of children engaged in reading, and writing continuous text, allows the teacher to observe behaviors that can be used to infer what a reader is using and doing while reading.
Value – This assessment information can be used to effectively scaffold literacy instruction and a child's reading performance.
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Patrick Hopkinson, Mats Niklasson, Peter Bryngelsson, Andrew Voyce and Jerome Carson
The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the life of the musician Brian Wilson from five different perspectives.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the life of the musician Brian Wilson from five different perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a mixed method of collaborative autoethnography, psychobiography and digital team ethnography to try and better understand the life and contributions of Brian Wilson.
Findings
Each of the five contributors provides different insights into the life and music of Brian Wilson.
Research limitations/implications
While the focus of this paper is on a single individual, a case study, the long and distinguished life of Brian Wilson provides much material for discussion and theorising.
Practical implications
Each individual presenting to mental health services has a complex biography. The five different contributions articulated in this paper could perhaps be taken as similar to the range of professional opinions seen in mental health teams, with each focusing on unique but overlapping aspects of the person’s story.
Social implications
This account shows the importance of taking a biological-psychological-social-spiritual and cultural perspective on mental illness.
Originality/value
This multi-layered analysis brings a range of perspectives to bear on the life and achievements of Brian Wilson, from developmental, musical, psychological and lived experience standpoints.
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Vivianna Fang He and Gregor Krähenmann
The pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunities is not always successful. On the one hand, entrepreneurial failure offers an invaluable opportunity for entrepreneurs to learn about…
Abstract
The pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunities is not always successful. On the one hand, entrepreneurial failure offers an invaluable opportunity for entrepreneurs to learn about their ventures and themselves. On the other hand, entrepreneurial failure is associated with substantial financial, psychological, and social costs. When entrepreneurs fail to learn from failure, the potential value of this experience is not fully utilized and these costs will have been incurred in vain. In this chapter, the authors investigate how the stigma of failure exacerbates the various costs of failure, thereby making learning from failure much more difficult. The authors combine an analysis of interviews of 20 entrepreneurs (who had, at the time of interview, experienced failure) with an examination of archival data reflecting the legal and cultural environment around their ventures. The authors find that stigma worsens the entrepreneurs’ experience of failure, hinders their transformation of failure experience, and eventually prevents them from utilizing the lessons learnt from failure in their future entrepreneurial activities. The authors discuss the implications of the findings for the entrepreneurship research and economic policies.
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Jamee Pelcher, Brian P. McCullough and Sylvia Trendafilova
The purpose of this paper is to examine higher education institutions’ participation in association for the advancement of sustainability in higher education’s (AASHE’s) Green…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine higher education institutions’ participation in association for the advancement of sustainability in higher education’s (AASHE’s) Green Athletics category in the sustainability tracking, assessment and rating system (STARS) sustainability report while assessing how well collegiate athletic departments engage with their respective aspects.
Design/methodology/approach
This general review used quantitative content analysis to determine the number of NCAA Divisions I–III institutions that actively report Green Athletics categories in their AASHE STARS reports. The data collection process compiled current reports from the STARS website and the National Collegiate Athletic Association database. Green Athletics categorical and accumulated point attempts and outcomes were analyzed.
Findings
Of the 335 institutions that actively use the STARS reporting tool, the NCAA accounted for 247 rated institutions of which only 50 attempted points in Green Athletics while only 21 institutions succeeded. This paper discusses the lack of participation from institutions in Green Athletics and propose an alternate to better engage collegiate athletics in STARS reporting.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first known examinations of the tangible results of collaborations on college campuses to integrate the athletic department’s sustainability efforts into the overall sustainability reporting of the institution. This study can better inform STARS on how to more fully engage college athletic departments and boost the sustainability efforts in all corners of campus.
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During September 1986, several local authorities in the Merseyside area were contacted and asked if it would be possible to carry out a survey and investigation of council…
Abstract
During September 1986, several local authorities in the Merseyside area were contacted and asked if it would be possible to carry out a survey and investigation of council dwellings which had suffered from condensation and mould growth, and which had also had remedial measures carried out. An invitation was received from West Lancashire District Council to carry out a survey at the Tanhouse 4 site in Skelmersdale. Several owner‐occupied ex‐council dwellings on the same estate were also to take part.
An interview with Rita McGrath a pioneer of “discovery-driven planning,” now widely recognized as one of the most effective approaches for strategy development in the face of…
Abstract
Purpose
An interview with Rita McGrath a pioneer of “discovery-driven planning,” now widely recognized as one of the most effective approaches for strategy development in the face of uncertainty.
Design/methodology/approach
Her research and experience interacting with executive teams positions her to offer corporate leaders practical perspectives and advice on how to approach strategically the great opportunities and dangers that lie ahead in this VUCA environment.
Findings
Major inflection points that create real change unfold gradually, then suddenly. Because they do take a while to unfold, an astute strategist who was paying attention to the signs could take advantage of the inflection. The future doesn’t happen all at once. It begins to unfold unevenly, and if you can “interview” where it is starting to take place now, you can begin to develop an early point of view about it.
Practical implications
There’s no substitute for watching how customers interact with your product or service and listening to their conversations about their experience.
Originality/value
McGrath’s thesis is when an inflection point does indeed reach a tipping point, it can feel as though it came out of nowhere. Her advice: if you are making a series of small options-style investments that are at the “edges” of your mainstream activities, you are likely to pick up on weak signals that allow you to, in an optimistic scenario, surf along an inflection point so that when the opportunity presents itself, you can move with speed to capture an advantage.
Claire Bellamy, Margaret Struthers and Lorraine Green
Drawing on empirical research which incorporated biographical interviews with two older male perpetrators, this chapter develops theoretical conceptualisations of the histories…
Abstract
Drawing on empirical research which incorporated biographical interviews with two older male perpetrators, this chapter develops theoretical conceptualisations of the histories, experiences and motives of these men. Four key areas are highlighted, which will be subject to closer scrutiny in relation to extant literature: (i) gender, particularly notions of masculinity, power and entitlement; (ii) attitudes relating to the use of violence both within intimate relationships and generally (iii) critical junctures in the life course which triggered attempts to desist; and (iv) an exploration of maturation and completion of treatment programmes in relation to their use of violence, future risks and efforts towards desistance.